Does a foreigner need a visa to come to France?
Verified 22 October 2019 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
It all depends on your nationality and the length of your stay.
You can check if you need a visa by using the Visa Assistant service:
Check if you need a visa - Visa Assistant
You must complete all of the following when crossing the border:
- Have a passport (or other travel document) issued for less than 10 years and whose validity is at least 3 months longer than the expected date of departure
- If your nationality requires it, hold a valid visa issued by a country Schengen
- Justify the object and conditions of your stay (private or professional trip, acceptance certificate or proof of accommodation, repatriation, etc.)
- Have insurance covering medical and hospital expenses, including social assistance, for the care you could receive in France (the minimum coverage required is €30,000)
- Not to be reported for non-admission in the Schengen Information System
- Do not pose a threat to public order, internal security, public health or the international relations of any country Schengen
- Have sufficient resources (cash, bank cards, etc.) or be able to acquire them legally (professional activity, etc.)
The level of resources required per day of stay in France varies according to the proof of accommodation:
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Welcome Certificate
€32.50
Proof of booking a hotel room
€65
No proof of booking a hotel room
€120
If you must have a visa, you must apply for a visa (no more than 3 months) before departure to the French consular authorities of the country where you live:
Who shall I contact
- Regulation of 14 November 2018 listing the third countries whose nationals are subject or not to Schengen visasAnnex 2
- Code on the entry and residence of aliens and the right to asylum: Article L211-1Documents and visas to enter France
- Code on the entry and residence of aliens and the right to asylum: Article R211-27Documents relating to the object and conditions of stay
- Code on the entry and residence of aliens and the right to asylum: Article R211-28Livelihood documents
- Code on the entry and residence of aliens and the right to asylum: Article R211-29Medical and hospital expenses
- Code on the entry and residence of aliens and the right to asylum: Articles R211-30 to R211-31Repatriation guarantees
- Foreign minor circulation document (CDR.)Service-Public.fr
- Schengen Area mapAll of Europe